CULTURE SHOCK

Library Administrator's Digest, May 2004 by Robinson, Leslie

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then good service is in the mind of the customer, right? Our challenge is to do a little mind reading - figure out what the customer thinks good service is and act accordingly. While we've got focus groups, polls, surveys and more to give us statistics about what customers want, one of the best ways to please them is simply intuitive: Put yourself in the customer's shoes - a twist on the golden rule, if you will.

Despite what we've been told, the "treat 'em like you want to be treated" method may not work so well with all customers. I'm thinking specifically of those from non-American backgrounds. What Americans think of as good service, such as mutual respect between providers and consumers, being free to browse and buy (or not buy), and engaging in small talk, stands directly opposed to transactions customers may experience in some other cultures. In those cultures, you may be expected to know what you want to purchase and arrive prepared to buy it. Additionally, customers and service providers are not necessarily viewed as equal, so mutual respect may be nonexistent. And in some cases, rules - some based on age, some based on gender and class - govern who talks to whom first, if at all. When people accustomed to these types of transactions arrive in the U.S., their challenge is getting used to our way of doing business. With expectations so wide-ranging from our own, can you see why the potential for misunderstanding is so great? Or how clashing cultural expectations can be a barrier to good service?

So what exactly should you do when faced with a customer from a different cultural background?

* When the customer talks, listen. It's okay to ask for information you don't understand to be repeated. And remember, there are no stupid questions.

* Use the customer's last name. Use of first names is friendly decorum in the U.S., but it may be best to avoid assuming others want to be greeted as we would. So until the customer asks you to address him by his first name, err on the side of formality.

* Make customer's feel important. Four ways to do this: Smile at your customers. Spend time with them. Use their names. Ask them if they need help.

* And above all, follow the customer's lead. Notice particulars like how they address you, how much personal space they give you, and the tone of their voice, and factor these into how you complete the transaction.

Undoubtedly there are other guidelines, and you'll surely think of your own, but here's one final thing to remember. Even if you make a mistake, relax - your efforts will be appreciated.

Leslie Robinson in Branching Out, Baltimore County (MD) Public Library, March 2004